THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA

UK, 1976, 105 minutes, Colour.
Sarah Miles, Kris Kristofferson. Jonathan Kahn, Margo Cunningham, Earl Rhodes.
Directed by Lewis John Carlino.

Hardly entertainment but a compelling study of love and evil. Transferred from Japan. Mishima's novel is now set in a beautiful English port, with Sarah Miles as a widow and Kris Kristofferson as the sailor. Mishima's philosophy of order in the universe with its amoral fascist imposition of that order can scarcely be visualised with the same subjective commitment as the author's. So, this version must remain a sympathetic version of a bizarre outlook on life and the audience must balance out the love of sailor and widow against the cruel justice mouthed and administered by the schoolboy chief and his henchmen. The treatment is not "realistic" but symbolic.

1. The impact of the film, involvement, interest?

2. Critics were generally hostile to the film. On what grounds could it be attacked? Adaptation of a novel, Japanese novel? Critics attacked the pretentious treatment.

3. This was the first film directed by the writer-director. He had previous experience in writing many films. How well did he adapt a novel for the screen?

4. The origin of the novel was Japan. It reflected the attitudes of Yukio Mishima and his, right-wing, fascist, self-destructive philosophy of life. How well did the writer adapt the Japanese ideas to the English setting? Japanese characters in a Japanese environment to English and American characters in an English setting?

5. The impact of the title, its indication of themes? Its reference to Jim, Jim's experience with Ann and Jonathan? The 'falling from grace' from the point of view of Jonathan and the Chief?

6. The importance of colour, Panavision? The recurring themes and the piano? The credits sequences and the seascapes? The importance of the atmosphere of the sea: visually, in sound? The cliffs. the water, the various moods of the sea, the varying times of the day? A natural world of the sea? The sea and the artificial world of the port, homes, the town, international shipping?

7. The presentation of the town itself, the Osborne household, the Chief's home, school, shops, cafes? How was the English atmosphere communicated via these locations?

8. The initial focus on Jonathan and audience interest in him? The detailed attention to darkness, the room, his getting up? His moving towards the meeting? The atmosphere of the night meeting? The introduction to the philosophy of the Chief and his hold over the boys? The atmosphere of a secret group, peer group, their code? For what purpose?

9. The initial indications of themes of intellect versus feeling and emotion? The Chief and his intellectual control and his educating of his peers? Their feeling and emotional response, as boys? The importance of the Chief's showing them the sex books and then lecturing them on their feelings? His theories of life, control, order, killing? Of holding the heart of something living in his hand?

1O. The personality of the Chief and his domination of the themes of the film? His appearance, age, precocity? His language, stern attitudes? The background of the absence of his parents? In his home? The school vengeance? His conducting of the meeting, the boys and their numbers? His confrontation with adults and his control? His confrontation with Jim and challenging him in his look and manner of speaking? His ability to act, his double talk with adults? A credible character, symbolic character?

11. Jonathan and his age and precocity as compared with the Chief? His being an only child, his relying on the Chief, his learning from him? The comparison with the other boys and their petty attitudes? Their boyishness? Puberty?

12. Jonathan and his relationship with his mother? The love between them, her control over him and her lack of control? Her puzzle about his outings, her rebuking him, locking him up? His moods and tantrums? Destroying the room and then tidying it again? The absence of his father? Attitudes towards punishing? His refusal to tell his mother? Mrs. Palmer and her observations on him?

13. How sympathetic a character was Anne Osborne? As a woman, the particular styles in Sarah Miles' performance? As a mother, widow? Her ability to cope with life, her loneliness? The manifestations of this, of her loneliness in her bedroom, make-up, before her mirror, the masturbation sequence? (Appropriately explicit, exploitive?) Seeing her with Mrs. Palmer, running her household, the sequences of her at work, discussions about antiques, her relationships with her staff? A rounded portrait of a woman?

14. The significance of Jonathan's finding the hole and his ability to pry on his mother? The effect on the audience, the effect on Mm? The audience prying with him? The visual effects of the camera looking through the hole, of the audience looking through the hole? An atmosphere of prurience, curiosity, puzzle?

15. The impact of the arrival of the ship on the town itself, on Anne, on Jonathan? The sunny day, the size of the ship, in the beautiful harbour? An atmosphere of beauty, the possibility of grace and fulfilment?

16. Anne taking Jonathan on tour and his enjoyment of it, his gratitude towards his mother, the bond between them? The encounter with Jim and the initial impact that he made? Kris Kristofferson's style and personality? What kind of person was Jim, as he revealed himself during the tour, impressed with Jonathan's knowledge, creating a bond between them? Anne and her gratitude? The inevitability of a bond, of a liaison? The enjoyment of one another's company and the way this was portrayed, the meal, the walk along the shore, the mutual talk about their own experiences and life, communication, love? The sexual culmination? (Appropriately explicit, exploitive?) The irony of Jonathan using the peephole and the audience sharing this prying with him? The presentation of human relationships, love and beauty? The puzzle for those observing? The atmosphere of the voyeur?

17. Jonathan and his admiration for Jim? The emotional effect, the counteraction with the sarcasm of the Chief? The theory of order, of grace, the universe? The significance of the title as applied to this experience of Jim? The importance of the device of Jonathan's diary, the voice-over narrative exploring the dilemma about the Chief's vision of the world, Jonathan's sharing of this, Jim's behaviour?

18. Jim's departure and Jonathan's happiness in his being a sailor? The importance of the devices used for the passing of time, the seasons, Anne and Jonathan about their ordinary life in the port, Jim and the voyage at sea, the letters, the map? The effect of the absence on each of them? on the Chief and his taunting of Jonathan? The dilemma and the hurt to Jonathan? The importance of Jim's vision and his searching for his visionary shark and the meaning of his life?

19. The impact visually of the return of the ship, the joy of Ann, the effect on Jonathan? On the Chief? Jonathan in his illness, the ambiguity of his reaction, his rudeness? Ann and her joy, going to meet the ship? Having the meal and the afternoon tea, the sexual overtones of the relationship of the two in the cafe, people's reactions and Ann's disregarding of these? The build-up of the liaison, love, proposal? The dilemma of communicating this with Jonathan? The exhilaration of the picnic and the rolling down the hill, the beauty of the countryside, the sea, an atmosphere for informing Jonathan? The ambiguity of his reaction?

20. The importance of Jonathan being caught spying? The hysterical reaction of his mother? Jim and his ability to cope? His fatherly reaction, getting Jonathan to apologise? The effect on Jonathan? (The irony of Jonathan imagining his mother telling him that it was all a joke? - the projection of his own imagination?)

21. The Chief and his decision for action against Jim? How well was the audience prepared for this with the incident with the cat? The Chief's lecture about life and having the heart of something living in his hand, the importance of the sequences where the boys dissected the cat? (The way this was visually and tastefully presented, though cruel and violent?)

22. The build-up towards the climax of the film: the cross-cutting and their ironies, Jim and Anne and their preparations for the wedding, the going to the various shops, happiness? The Chief and the boys and their plan for killing Jim? The effect of this cross-cutting?

23. How did this rise to a height with Ann going about her work and the impending sorrow, the ship and its leaving and Jim watching it? Jim telling his story in a fatherly way, the boys and their hypocrisy and their being pictured as typically English schoolboys, with their deadly intent? The long tracking away from them for the audience to appreciate what was happening?

24. What was the audience left with at the end? Pessimism? The sadness of life? Falling from grace?

25. How realistic was the film meant to be, how symbolic? Was the technique sufficiently blending realistic treatment and symbolic? The importance of slow movement, panning and tracking, the fluid observation of these events and characters on the part of the audience?

26. Themes of defeat, death, the order of the universe, idealism, precocious children, honour, education?